The Family of
Casimir Weiss and
Maria Bachman

"In Loving Memory Of Those Who Came Before Us!"

Casimir Weiss and Maria A. Bachman are my
Paternal 2nd Great-Grandparents.

Their daughter, Fredericka Weiss is
my Great-Grandmother.

CASIMIR WEISS was born 1840
in Solothurn, Switzerland.

His parents names are unknown.

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MARIA ANNA BACHMAN was born
February 1846 in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Her parents names are unknown.

Casimir, Maria, and at least 8 of their children immigrated to the U.S. in 1879 on the ship "White Star Liner."

They had to travel on the steerage, the lowest class on the ship, as it was the cheapest rate.

Their son, Henry, had to carry the chamber pot as to help pay for the fare. He had to carry the pot on a string around his neck. When people were finished using it, it was his job to throw it overboard.

After the family's arrival in the U.S. (port unknown), they settled in Grossdale, Cook County, Illinois. (A suburb of Chicago). This is where Casimir and Maria remained for the rest of their lives.

Casimir Weiss was married twice:

1. His first wife's name is still unknown.
They were married in Switzerland.
The date she died is also unknown.

2. He married his second wife, Maria Anna Bachman, in Switzerland.

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Maria Bachman was also married twice:

1. She married first to Casimir Weiss in Switzerland.

2. When Casimir died, Maria remarried at the age of 55
to to Fritz Henze on 18 August 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.
He was 22 years younger than she was.

It appears that Casimir was a very busy man. He had a total of 20 children!

Casimir Weiss and his first wife had seven children, but none of their children's names are known as yet as they never left Switzerland.

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Casimir and Maria Anna Bachman had 13 children born from their marriage but only 12 of them are known:

1.  ROSIE WEISS

Born in Switzerland.

2.  MARY WEISS

Born in Switzerland.

3.  CAREY WEISS

Born in Switzerland.

4.  BERTHA WEISS

Born in Switzerland.

5.  RUDOLPH WEISS

Born March 1866 in Switzerland.

6.  ADOLPH WEISS

Died at a young age.

7.  FREDERICKA A. WEISS

Born 15 Aug 1871 in Interlaken, Switzerland.

She married Thomas A.E. Van Aldenhoven
in 1892 in Chicago, Illinois.

She died 29 Jan 1919 in Denver, Colorado.

8.  HENRY J. WEISS

Born 1872 in Switzerland.

He married Louise [Surname Unknown].
(See Below).

He died in 1939 in Denver, Colorado.

9.  IDA WEISS

Born 1 Dec 1873 in Kappel, Switzerland.

Ida died 30 Aug 1939 in Chicago, Illinois.

She became a Catholic Nun.
(See Below)

10.  THEODORE P. WEISS

Born December 1877 in Switzerland.

He died 7 Sept 1912 at the age of 34 years.

He was murdered. (See Below)

11.  CASIMIR WEISS

Born in Illinois.

He died when he was only 10 or 11 years old.

12.  PETER WEISS

Born Aug 1888 in Illinois.

Casimir Weiss was a "Watchman" by trade.

Maria Bachman was a "Weaver" by trade.

Family tradition relates that their son, Henry Weiss, was married to "quite a character." Henry's wife, Louise, used to wear big loose skirts and would do quite a bit of shoplifting by stuffing everything in her skirt.

Casimir and Fredericka's daughter, Ida Weiss, became a Catholic Nun. She entered the "Congregation of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ" on 16 March 1898 and made her first profession on 1 August 1900 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. She then went to Aviston, Illinois to help care for the aged people in the "Sacred Heart Home." In 1902 she went to the Isolation Hospital in Chicago, Illinois and remained there until her death. She was the "Mother Superior" for six years. Her name was "Sister M. Bernadette."

Their son, Theodore Weiss, was in a partnership with another man named "Kaminski." They were owners of a saloon in Chicago, Illinois. They had some sort of an argument and dissolved their partnership. Two weeks later, Theodore was murdered. He was found hanging on an iron fence at the Isolation Hospital in Chicago where his sister, Sister Bernadette [Ida Weiss] was Mother Superior.

Updated July 9, 2000